178: $0-$100k in 10 Months with The Crafty DIYer

Launch Your Box Podcast with Sarah Williams | Start, Launch, and Grow Your Subscription Box

In this episode, we’re talking with Denise Parkes of The Crafty DIYer. Denise and I know each other well. She’s a member of Launch Your Box, Scale Your Box, and my Elevate Mastermind. As one of my Mastermind Ladies, I get to see Denise in person 3 times a year! Her strength and the story of the last year in her business inspire me and the other members of our Mastermind. It will inspire you, too.

Denise is an artist and a crafter. She is passionate about teaching others to enjoy crafting. Denise serves mainly women over the age of 60 and, by going LIVE six days a week for a long time, had built up a devoted following.

When Denise learned about me and my annual Subscription Box Week, she joined right away. During that week, Denise got to know me and my teaching style as well as what she could expect inside Launch Your Box.

Denise was convinced a subscription box was the right next step for her. She actually launched during Subscription Box Week (remember she already had a large audience) and got 120 subscribers!

Denise’s subscription box grew quickly and soon she needed to rent warehouse space to handle inventory and fulfillment. But all was not well inside Denise’s business. Denise and her business reside in Canada where shipping costs are prohibitive. She simply couldn’t afford to ship to her largely US based subscribers, or even those in her own country. Shipping costs were eating up all of her profits.

Denise was also dealing with health issues and found herself stressed and unhappy. Her business in its current form was no longer serving her. She knew she still needed to make an income, but couldn’t go on as she was.

But Denise is someone who gets back up and figures things out. And during our September 2023 Mastermind Retreat, she did just that. There is power in being in a room with other smart, like-minded businesswomen who want the best for you.

Denise realized the way forward was with printables – no shipping required! She’d had a super successful printable lead magnet in place to grow her list and further proved the viability of her idea by selling one-off printables. When she was able to get out of her warehouse lease,

Denise felt able to start from scratch again… even though doing so was scary.

Starting from scratch for Denise meant “doing everything Sarah teaches.”

• Building her list
• Driving traffic to her website
• Putting effective lead magnets out there

The Digital Print Clubhouse launch was a big success – 150 subscribers big. And it has continued to grow. Denise now has more than 400 subscribers and celebrated hitting 6-figures only 10 months after making this major pivot.

So what’s different now?

• Less stress
• More joy
• Nothing to pack and ship
• More time and energy to create

Denise talks about the importance of being around women who support and understand her – like the ones found inside Launch Your Box. She also reminds us of the importance of not worrying about what anyone else thinks and resisting the urge to compare yourself to anyone else.

Pivoting was necessary for Denise’s business to survive. And now she’s not only surviving, she’s thriving… and celebrating hitting six-figures in less than a year!

Join me for this episode as Denise and I talk about realizing when it's time to pivot, working through the fear, and coming out stronger… oh, and reaching six-figures in revenue in less than a year!

Find and follow Denise:

• Crafty DIYer on Facebook
• Crafty DIYer on Instagram
• Crafty DIYer Website

Join me in all the places:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Launch Your Box with Sarah Website

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!